Patient – Support and Resources

Support and Resources


  1. Help minimize CINV through some simple changes to your diet and lifestyle.
    • Eat 6 small meals instead of 3 large meals daily
    • Eat lightly before treatment
    • Keep high calorie, high protein snacks available
    • Avoid fatty, greasy, or spicy foods
    • Eat and drink slowly
    • If food tastes metallic, use plastic flatware and dishes
    • Try bland foods
    • Drink minima; amounts of fluid with meals
    • Drink plenty of clear fluids
    • Avoid foods with strong odors
    • Avoid lying flat for at least 2 hours after meals
    • Enjoy cold foods at room temperature and avoid hot foots
    • Avoid alcohol.
    • Take time to relax, nap, or practice breathing techniques- or try meditation

  2. Is Sancuso right for me?
    • Ask your healthcare professional if SANCUSO might be right for you
    • Some patients treated for cancer experience difficulty swallowing pills, feel nauseated, and are unable to keep pills down. This can be caused by certain cancers or certain cancer treatments that may make it hard for you to swallow medicine that prevents CINV
    • Some cancer treatments may also reduce the ability of your intestines to absorb or retain the medicine in pills or tablets
    • Because SANCUSO is a skin patch that enters your system through your skin rather than an oral medication, it might be the right choice for patients who have trouble swallowing or keeping down pills, and those with the reduced ability to absorb or retain medicine in their intestines

  3. How do I get Sancuso?
    • Talk to your healthcare provider about whether this prescription medicine is right for you
    • Download and fill out this questionnaire to help guide your discussion
    • Either fill the prescription at a local pharmacy or have your doctor use our PatientRx Solutions program to ger Sancuso mailed directly to your home
    • Ask your doctor to e-prescribe Sancuso if it is right for you

  4. What makes Sancuso different?
    • SANCUSO is the only skin patch approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients receiving moderately and/or highly emetogenic chemotherapy
    • The active drug in SANCUSO is called granisetron, which is dissolved in a thin layer of adhesive that sticks to your skin
    • When applied 24 to 48 hours before receiving the first dose of chemotherapy, the SANCUSO patch slowly and continuously releases the medicine contained in the adhesive through clean and intact skin areas into your bloodstream
INDICATIONS AND USAGE

SANCUSO® (granisetron transdermal system) is indicated for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in adults receiving moderately and/or highly emetogenic chemotherapy regimens of up to 5 consecutive days.


CONTRADICTIONS

Sancuso is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to granisetron or to any of the components of the transdermal system.


WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
  • Progressive Ileus and Gastric Distention: Sancuso may mask a progressive ileus and/or gastric distention. This should be particularly considered before use of Sancuso in patients who have had recent abdominal surgery. Monitor for decreased bowel activity, particularly in patients with risk factors for gastrointestinal obstruction.
  • Serotonin Syndrome: The development of serotonin syndrome has been reported with 5-HT3 receptor antagonists. Patients should be monitored for the emergence of serotonin syndrome, especially with concomitant use of Sancuso and other serotonergic drugs.
  • If symptoms of serotonin syndrome occur, discontinue Sancuso and initiate supportive treatment. Patients should be informed of the increased risk of serotonin syndrome, especially if Sancuso is used concomitantly with other serotonergic drugs. Skin Reactions: In clinical trials with Sancuso, application site reactions were reported that were generally mild in intensity and did not lead to discontinuation of use. The incidence of reactions was comparable with placebo. If severe reactions, or a generalized skin reaction occur (e.g., allergic rash, including erythematous, macular, papular rash or pruritus), remove the Sancuso transdermal system.
  • Increased Drug Exposure with Use of External Heat Sources: Prolonged exposure to heat results in increasing plasma concentrations of granisetron during the period of heat exposure. Do not apply a heat pad or heat lamp over or in the vicinity of the Sancuso transdermal system and avoid extended exposure to heat.
  • Phototoxicity with Ultraviolet Light Exposure: Granisetron may be affected by direct natural or artificial sunlight, including sunlamps. An in vitro study using Chinese hamster ovary cells suggests that granisetron has the potential for photogenotoxicity. To avoid a potential skin reaction, advise patients to cover the application site of the transdermal system with clothing if there is a risk of exposure to direct natural or artificial sunlight throughout the period of wear and for 10 days following its removal.

Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reaction (≥ 3%) is constipation.

You are encouraged to report suspected adverse reactions to Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. at 1-800-Sancuso or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/ medwatch.

See full Prescribing Information for SANCUSO.